1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to wireless communication networks and, more particularly, to multicast scheduling systems and methods in wireless relay networks.
2. Description of the Related Art
With the next generation wireless networks moving towards smaller (micro, pico) cells for providing higher data rates, there is a revived interest in multi-hop wireless networks from the perspective of integrating them with infrastructure cellular networks. With a decrease in cell size, relays can be employed to provide extended coverage. In this context, two-hop relay-enabled wireless networks have become a dominant, mandatory component in the fourth generation (4G) standards, such as Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax) 802.16j and Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Long Term Evolution-Advanced (LTE-adv), due to the plethora of potential applications they support. For example, such relay-enabled wireless networks can be implemented in or with hot-spots, office buildings, underground tunnel access, etc.
Orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) has become the popular choice for air interface technology in 4G networks. In accordance with OFDMA, the entire spectrum is divided into multiple carriers (sub-channels), leading to several physical layer and scheduling benefits. Several works have investigated resource scheduling in wireless relay networks with regard to unicast applications.